IKEA Children's Holiday Gift Program Benefits Save The Children & Unicef

Furniture World Magazine

IKEA, the leading home furnishings retailer, announced a new program for the holiday season in collaboration with Save the Children and UNICEF that will benefit thousands of children around the world. For every soft toy purchased at an IKEA U.S. store* from Saturday, November 19 through Saturday, December 24, IKEA will donate $1.00 toward Save the Children's child protection and education programs and UNICEF's child protection, health and education programs to help children in need around the globe. The new holiday program titled, "A Child's Smile is Worth So Much," demonstrates how just one dollar can make a big difference, and applies to the purchase of IKEA soft toys such as: MINNEN GRODA frog ($6.99), MINNEN DRAKE dragon ($9.99) and KLAPPAR ELEFANT ($12.99 for set of two). The IKEA soft toy choices will provide children with hours of hugs and imaginative fun, and simultaneously help to put a smile on the faces of children in need around the world. "By joining forces this holiday season with both Save the Children and UNICEF, IKEA makes it easy for our shoppers to support worthwhile programs, ranging from polio immunization to educational programs for children in need," said John Zurcher, social responsibility and environment manager, IKEA U.S. "For children around the world who face many difficult challenges, this holiday program will have a significant impact on the lives of children in need. A huggable soft toy puts a smile on a child's face this holiday season and helps other children for a long time to come." "IKEA offers shoppers a way to give a gift this holiday season that gives back to children around the globe," said Charles MacCormack, president and CEO of Save the Children. "The funds raised through this program will allow more children to go to school and will protect the health and well-being of children in vulnerable situations." "Sometimes during the holiday season we lose sight of what's really important," said Charles J. Lyons, President, U.S. Fund for UNICEF. "This special holiday program allows shoppers to purchase quality toys knowing a percentage of the proceeds will provide children in developing countries the best start in life through health care, education, equality and protection. We couldn't be prouder of our partnership with IKEA." About UNICEF: Founded in 1946, UNICEF helps save, protect and improve the lives of children around the world through immunization, education, healthcare, nutrition, clean water and sanitation. UNICEF is non-partisan and its cooperation is free of discrimination. In everything it does, the most disadvantaged children and the countries in greatest need have priority. For more information or to make a donation, please visit www.unicefusa.org or call 1-800-4UNICEF or 1-800-486-4233. About Save the Children: Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating real and lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. It is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, comprising 27 national Save the Children organizations working in more than 110 countries to ensure the well-being of children. For five years, IKEA has supported Save the Children's reading and literacy programs for children ages 5 to 12 in many of the poorest rural communities across the United States with a contribution of $500,000. To visit Save the Children's Web site, please go to http://www.savethechildren.org. About IKEA: Since its 1943 founding in Sweden, IKEA has offered home furnishings and accessories of good design and function, at low prices so the majority of the people can afford them. For three consecutive years, IKEA has been named to Working Mother magazine's annual list of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" and Training magazine's annual "Top 100" ranking of companies that excel at human capital development - as well as to this year's FORTUNE's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list. IKEA incorporates environmentally friendly efforts into day-to-day business and continuously supports initiatives that benefit causes such as children and the environment. To visit the IKEA Web site, please go to http://www.IKEA-usa.com.